Steve Hammond wrote:
>
> Gee, it's been a good week here for spam - I can make millions in casino gambling,
>earn more working in my home and then become re-incarnated.
>
> And people say the Internet is a waste of time!!
>

It can get worse...

At my former residence, my neighbor wanted to get together to discuss "a
new business adventure".  I thought that he must have figured out that I
was into systems/programming and that he wanted to discuss some
consulting opportunities.

It turned out to be much better than that...

As he was walking over to my house, I was generating a mental list of
questions about what kind of system he may already have or be interested
in having me create.  It would be great if it was a HP3k based system!

I became suspicious when he showed up in a suit and tie on a saturday
evening.  We sat down at my kitchen table.  He handed me an index card
and a pencil and said "Of all the things that you want in the world,
write down the three things that you would like the most."

Refusing to write down anything on the card, I asked him just what kind
of "business adventure" this was to be.

He was selling various products from cleaning solutions and vacuum
cleaners to VCR's and TV's, door to door.  He was not trying to sell
product to me, but recruit me to sell for him.  He would make a small
percentage on my sales, and the more people that you recruit, the more
money you make from their sales and eventually you no longer have to go
door to door selling, you just collect commissions from your recruits.
But where I was suppose to benefit was that I was then suppose to
recruit a number of people to work for me and collect percentages from
them - basically your typical pyramid type of get rich quick schemes.

It was a tough decision to make.  Doing various systems and programming
work on an HP3000, or going door to door selling cleaning solutions.  Or
perhaps I could become a major player in this door to door
"corporation/operation" and become a product manager and introduce the
HP3000 as a new line of sales for them.  Door to door HP3000 sales,
consulting services, vacuums, VCRs, TVs, cleaning solutions, etc...(I do
trust that none of you will steal my idea).  I was already starting to
see the dollar signs roll before my eyes.

I actually made my decision in a fraction of a second, which was to
politely kick my neighbor out of my house with the premise that he not
return with any more ideas of a "business adventure."

He was able to sense from my tones that I lacked faith in his business
concept and told me "When this takes off, You will be the first person
that I going to show my new Mercedes to."

I responded by telling him that in about a year, I was going to sell my
rusty 79 Ford Exporer pickup, and that he would be the first person that
I would call when I was ready to sell.  That went over really well...

Just be lucky that the SPAM is coming via e-mail and not your next door
neighbor.  Granted my neighbor picked up on my lack of interest
immediately and did not return.  I wish it were the same for SPAM.

Sorry to waste the bandwith.

Evan Vaala

P.S.  I can still get in touch with my old neighbor if anybody out there
has had it with the world of the HP3000 and wants to try something
different.  Just send me an offline e-mail :)